Fire-escape.



No. 848,235. PATENTED MAR; 26, 1907. 0. L. GARLAND, G. PROUDFOOT & M.BOWEN.

FIRE ESCAPE. 'JIXPPLICATION FILED JUL'Y3.1905.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LAUNOELOT GARLAND, OF SYDNEY, AND GEORGE PROUDFOOT AND MARIONBOWEN, OF BALMAIN NEAR SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES,

AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE EMPIRE INVENTION S COMPANY LIM- ITED, OFSYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed July 3,1905. Serial No. 268,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES LAUNCELOT GARLAND, of N o. 154 Phillipstreet, Sydney, in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth ofAustralia, mining-dredge proprietor, and GEORGE PROUDFOOT, railwaycontractor, and MARION BOWEN, married woman, both of No. 13 Montaguestreet, Baimain, near Sydney, aforesaid, have invented an IC ImprovedFire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those contrivances known as fire-escapeswhereby a person may lower himself or be lowered from I5 a building orelevation by reason of a frictional hold with or without the addition ofa brake upon a cord or rope forming part of such contrivance.

This invention has been specially devised to produce an effectivecontrivance for'the purpose which will enable a safe and well regulateddescent to be made and in some cases the return of the escape to theelevated position again. A comfortable and secure support or seat ismade available to the passenger, while the speed of the descent may becontrolled by the passenger or by a person on the ground; but in orderthat this invention may be clearly understood refer- 3 ence will now bemade to the drawings herewith, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation,and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of this lmproved fire-escape with thependent body-support or saddle removed. Figs. 3 and 4 are front and sideviews of the escape in use on a pendent lifeline or steel rope. F ig. 5is a front view of the same in use on a running life-line or steel ropereeved through a pulley or sheave at the 4 top of a building. Fig. 6 isa sideelevation, and Fig. 7 a front view, of a modified con struction ofthis improved fire-escape wherein there is a brake and wherein thebody-support is a fixture.

The escape or frictional block or runningpiece consists of a hollow drumor sheave 6, having inner and outer flanges 7 and 8. Through an orifice9 in the front or outer face water or oil or other cooling liquid may be5 fed, and thereon may be placed a cap or seal.

This will prevent or retard the heating of the running-piece in itsdescent on the lifeline or steel rope. Through holes in the lugs 10 and11 t he ends of the life-line are passed and knotted, While anadditional lug 12 provides a similar hold for the-other end of the rope.In the one case these lugs are on the back of the running-piece, whilein the modification they are on one side. At top and bottom of the drum6 the back extends outwardly from the center, and in the firstconstruction the former extension has hook-piece 13 and a snub 14, whilethe lower has a corresponding hookpiece 15 and a snub 16, these hooksand snubs being relatively inner and outer of the edge of the drum orsheave, and these hooks and snubs enable the life-line or wire to bequickly placed in working position under the hook 13 and against theupper snub 141, with a turn or two around the drum 6, against the snub16, and under the hook 15. The lower extension-piece is formed behindthe hook 15 and snub 16 as a hook 17 itself, so that the saddle orsupport will hang therein by a link or eye 18 or the like and beprevented from disengagement not only by the hook form, but positivelyby the life-line or wire passing outside of the link. On the bottom ofthis hook 17 are eyes or hooks 19, on which may be hung, so as to beconvenient in use, handles or gloves or frictional grippers for easingthe hands in controlling the descent.

In another construction or modification the upper extension has a guide13 instead of a hook, while the lower extension has a similar guide 15.Lower than this guide 15 is a pivoted lever 25, whose inner face takesover a channel or groove 26, formed in the lower extension of the drum.The passenger support or seat constructed as hereinafter described isriveted or permanently affixed to said lower extension of the drum. Inthis construction the escape is permanently placed upon the life-line 24and cannot be separated therefrom, the said life-line being coiled andstored and aflixed to overhead contrivances, as here inafter described.The life-line 24 is passed through groove or channel 26 under the lever25, thence through guide 15 around the drum 6, and through the guide 13to the supportingfixture or a sheave or pulley.

The support for the passenger is constructed of T-steel or hook shape,as shown, so that the average individual will straddle it and sitperpendicularly, with his center of gravity fairly under the life-line.The end of the hook 20 is a saddle 21, on which the person sitsstraddled, and a slot 22 is provided in the web of the structure'for thepassing through of a strap or belt 23 to be buckled around the upperpart of the body.

in use, as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4, one end of the life-line 24 ispermanently afiixed to a bracket or the like in the room of a building,but preferably outside, or the end may have a cringle or other device bywhich it may be quickly attached or affixed to any permanent part of aroom or building or some structure therein or thereon which will holdthe weight of the person desiring to descend. This lifeline ispreferably coiled upon a reel, so that it will pass freely downwardwithout entanglement on being thrown out of the window. The escape isreeved on the life-line or wire, as before set forth, and by frictionalcontact held in position by hanging or pulling on the wire below it. Thesaddle or support 21 is placed in position by putting link 18 in hook 17behind the life-line 24, and all is ready for descent. The user seatshimself astride the saddle 21, grasping the line with his hands.Obviously the stronger the pull exerted by the hands the greater will bethe check or resistance to his descent. In this way by shifting aportion of his weight from his hands to the saddle, or vice versa, therapidity of the descent may be regulated.- At the same time the legs ofthe passenger are in convenient position to keep him from twirling bytaking bearing against the wall of the building and for guiding him pastobstacles in the shape of cornices or other structural ornamentations.When using the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the passenger has afurther control of the rate of descent, for by pressing lever 25 intothe groove 26 he is able to apply an effective brake on the sliding ofthe escape or running-piece on the life-line.

As depicted in Fig. 5, the life-line 24 is a running one, with its end27 attached to the lugs 10 and 11 of the drum and its bight reevedthrough a pulley or sheave adapted to be permanently fixed to a bracketon the building or structure or to be quickly hung thereon or to anyother convenient fasten.- ing. In this case the line is doubled, sinceboth ends are carried back and knotted to the bracket, while the middleportion is wound around the reel. The engaging of the runningpiece, theseating in the saddle, and the descent to the ground are all achieved ashereinbefore described. In this case, how ever, the descent is madeslower, and as well persons on the ground maybe disengaging the escapeor running-piece and hoist it again to the elevated position for furtheruse.

This improved fire-escape may be carrie about by persons as part oftheir baggage, and so be handy in whatever rooms they may use intraveling. erably should, be part of the furniture of every upper roomin buildings, particularly high buildings, with cards of directions foruse exhibited prominently. Where it is part of the furniture of abuilding, various devices may be provided for the attachment of thelife-line or its pulley or sheave.

Having now fully described and ascertained the said invention and inwhat mannor the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claimis 1. A device of the class described embracing in its construction atraveler-frame, a supporting-rope therefor, said travelerframe beingprovided with means for securing the two ends of said rope to itself,said travelerframe having snubbing-lugs disposed on opposite sides ofthe rope to deflect the rope from a straight line, a sheave secured tothe frame beneath said snubbing-lugs and provided with a runway for therope, a retarding device for engaging that portion of the rope beneaththe sheave, and a curved saddlebar secured to the lower end of thetravelerframe for supporting the person of the operator, substantiallyas described.

2. A device of the class described embracing'in its construction atraveler-frame constructed to travel upon a supporting-rope, a rope forsupporting the same, said travelerframe being provided with a sheavehaving a peripheral runway for the rope, retarding devices for engagingthe rope disposed both above and below said sheave, the lower end ofsaid frame being provided with an upturned hook disposed below thesheave and between the depending rope and the back of the frame, acarrier device comprising a bar bent to form a saddle for the support ofthe operator, said carrier device being provided with means for engagingsaid hook between the depending rope and the traveler-frame,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LAUNCELOT GARLAND. GEORGE IROUDFOOT. MARION BOWEN.

l/Vitnesses:

PERCY NEwELL, M. J. CANDRI'oK.-

It may, however, and pref-

